Devil With A Heart
by wolfskin.kin
Summary: Dante is known for hunting demons. Wolf isn't known for anything. What happens when these two, completely different people meet? Ongoing.
1. Chapter 1

Rain fell in buckets on the unfortunate city. Many citizens had already made their way inside anything that they could find as shelter, but a few still lingered; still searching. It wasn't a nice city overall. There were many deaths daily, from various reasons. Starvation, suicide, murder. Anything that one would think of, it was done in order to survive. Most people found some refuge however. Though there was one small figure wandering, confused and lonely.

She knew that the demons loved to prey outside, but she'd given up on surviving. She had drank rain water for the past two days and eaten stale bread to push her appetite back, but she just didn't have the energy to try any longer. The screeching told her that they were following her and she just kept walking. She stumbled a few times on her feet, but she still managed to catch herself. She knew that the fiends were just waiting for her to fall so that they could descend on her and make what little meat was left on her their next meal. Who was she to deny them that? It wasn't too long ago that she'd run away from home and been in the same situation. One foot in front of the other, but she was so tired. Maybe she would just let her body hit the ground in hopes of a quick death, even though she knew that she wouldn't get that. Her eyelids dropped, closing fully, and she felt her face dig into the ground. Louder screeching alerted many more demons to her location. They were on her in a heartbeat.

She felt their claws ripping at the tattered shirt that she had managed to grab before she ran. A dog howled somewhere nearby, but no human was daring enough to try and save her. A few claws dig into her back, but she just let it happen. She couldn't even feel the pain that accompanied her torn flesh. Her body was being rocked in many directions as the demons made slow work of her body. Just when she thought it was over, a sound rang out in her fading hearing and a figure entered what was left of her eyesight.

Gunshots rang out from seemingly nowhere. She didn't want to be saved. She felt herself silently beg for the figure to just leave her be to die there. A flash of crimson and bright flashes accompanied the figure. Her eyes slowly closed and she no longer felt like she was there. She was unconscious. Maybe death would be a sweet release of the pain.

Dante trailed the demons silently. Piercing blue eyes watched them follow a smaller figure through the derelict city. This city may not have had much to offer, but at least he could kill demons with no problem. Not only would he get in trouble for it, the citizens didn't seem to mind his presence when it came to the killings. He watched the figure stumble, fall, and the demons leap upon the body like children leaping into a pile of candy from a pinata.

He normally didn't help the civilians, but something about this one worried him. It was the equivalent of a maternal instinct, something that he couldn't explain fully since he didn't even know that he had something like that. He'd been following this figure for a while and he knew that something had been wrong with them. He never got close enough to figure out a gender, but he knew that he would figure that out soon enough.

"Time to go," he whispered into the air. He knew that his voice would be drowned out by the torrent, so he didn't even bother trying to hide it.

He took his faithful pistols in hand and jumped off the rooftop just in time to stop the demons below from doing any serious harm to the frail figure.

He made quick work of the demons and took delight in the fact that they were easy enough to scare away. He didn't have a lot of ammo left for his guns and he really didn't feel like swinging his sword around. Once they had vanished from sight, he took a look at the figure that he just saved. Just by a quick glance, he could tell that she was malnourished. She had been living off the streets for a while. Blood pooled around her and the rain only amplified that fact. He knew that she wouldn't last much longer without help. He would admit freely that he didn't know much about first aid, but he would try. That's just the type of devil he was. He was a devil with a heart.

Dante scooped up the frail body and carried her fireman style back to his shop. Her warm breast rising and falling against his back let him know that she was still alive, even if just barely. He would get a better look at her once he got back to the shop. He just hoped that Trish wouldn't flip shit over him bringing yet another 'straggler' home.

"Dante! What did I tell you about-" the feisty blond started.

"Trish, shut the hell up and just help me." Dante commanded and she quickly quieted herself. There weren't many people that could tell her to shut up and get away with it. She sighed a long sigh before opening a nearby door that led to an empty room.

Dante never bothered with actually putting much furniture in his shop. The shop doubled as a home for him, but he never really bothered with actually getting more than one bed. If Trish stayed a while, she normally kicked him out of his room and made him sleep on the couch in the lobby.

The room was small. Years of being unused had taken a toll on it. Dust covered the floor and no matter how much he actually tried to clean it up, he would eventually just forget about it and do something else. To anyone, the room would be unbearable to sleep in, but if anyone wanted it, he would gladly help them clean to make it livable.

He tapped his foot on the ground as Trish got blankets to make a pallet on the floor.

"We're going to clean this room one day." she huffed as she spread the final blanket down on the floor. It wasn't much, but at least the mystery woman would have some sort of cushion from the floor. Dante sighed loudly. Even though the woman looked so frail, her lightweight was starting to take a toll on his shoulders.

Once the pallet was complete, he put her gently down. Now that he could get a better look at her, he noticed many things that he hadn't before. She had shoulder length hair, knotted up horribly from many days without a good washing and brushing. Adding to her knots were spots of red where the blood from her back and sides managed to seep upward while he carried her. What was left of her clothes were pointless in covering anything. Her shirt was so torn that they both could see her pale breasts, ribcage and navel. She was definitely malnourished. Dante was surprised that no one wanted to help her. Her cheekbones were so pronounced that he was sure he could cut his hand if he tried to touch them. Her arms and legs looked like they could barely do anything, making him surprised again with the fact that she could walk. Her frail feet were torn up to shreds. Scabs and remnants of dried blood covered them. How long had she been on her own.

"You've got a shirt that you don't mind giving up right?" Trish asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Just because I am what I am doesn't mean I'm not fashionable." Dante replied sarcastically. Trish scoffed as he went up the stairs to get a shirt. He returned quickly only to have Trish snatch the shirt from him and push him out of the room.

"There is a huge difference between seeing her in clothing like that and completely naked. Have some manners!" she scolded with a smile. Dante knew that she was picking on him, but he still listened to her. She had that motherly vibe toward him and he couldn't help but listen to her when she commanded something. He walked slowly to the nearby couch and waited patiently.

"What do you want to do with her?" Trish asked after minutes of silence. Dante had assumed that changing the woman went well enough since she didn't come out complaining about something. He pondered for a moment before answering.

"I don't know. I couldn't just leave her to die like that." he replied thoughtfully. He tapped his foot on the ground again. "Think she has any family?" he then asked. It was Trish's turn to be silent.

"It didn't look like it. Why would a family let their daughter wander the streets for as long as she has?" the blond replied. She had a point. "She obviously knows a lot about the streets, but not enough to keep her from getting killed." she added after a brief silence.

"She wasn't in the best part of town either. Not that this shitty town has a 'best' part." Dante spoke silently.

"How long were you trailing her?" Trish asked as she pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Total?" he asked. She made a confirming noise. "About four days. Something called me to her. She wasn't like all the others. She came out at night to look for food and I saw her drink rainwater from puddles a few times. She got more water than anything though. The baker of the area did give her some bread and I saw her nibble on it a few times, but she wouldn't scarf the whole thing down." Dante explained.

"Like you would pizza?" the other woman asked, a smile coloring her voice. Dante scoffed and nodded.

There was a long silence before either of them spoke again. Dante scratched the back of his neck and announced that he was going to go shower.

"Before you go, I have a question." she said lightly. Dante turned to face her. "Do you want me to sleep on the couch tonight? I only ask because she might wake up sometime and to be honest, if she saw you, she might die of fright." Trish asked with a smile. The devil looked shocked. He didn't think that he was that bad looking.

"Oh, Trish, I'm hurt." he replied, playing along. "As long as I can sleep, I'll sleep anywhere." he replied. Trish started to scold him again, but he just shrugged her off and walked up the stairs. "You can have the bed." he called down. She knew that he was doing this to spite her. She sighed loudly.

Her eyes fluttered open to see a wooden ceiling. She thought that she was back home and almost fell back asleep before she realized something was off. All homes have a certain smell that let's the owner know that they are actually at home. Wherever she was didn't have that smell. Throwing herself up quickly made her dizzy, but she needed to know where she was. She felt her shirt only to realize that it was different. Her tattered rags were replaced with a long black shirt. Dust invaded her nostrils and she fought the urge to sneeze, only to fail. She threw the flimsy blanket off her body and tried to stand. The searing pain on her back made her stop moving suddenly. She wanted to scream at the pain. She wanted it to go away. Panic started to set in as she kept trying to move. Her voice failed her as she tried to call for help. She managed to pick herself up, even through the intense pain on her back. She might has well have been on fire with how much pain she felt. She fumbled her way to the nearby door and threw it open. Before she knew it, someone had grabbed her arms a little too tightly and was calling another name. Another figure quickly appeared to help the other one. What was going on? Where was she?

"Her back's bleeding again." she heard a female voice say. She felt herself being pulled forward to a wooden chair. "You stay at her backside. She's not wearing anything else." the same voice said. She heard a light chuckle. She suddenly felt self conscious at the fact that she wasn't wearing any underwear. She tried to get her hands free to make sure the shirt stayed down, but it was all a failure. The female had her sit in the wooden chair backwards, leaving her lower body on display. She was thankful for the lack of windows. "Bring me those bandages will you? I didn't want to put any on her last night because I didn't know if she would toss and turn like you do." the female voice ordered.

The back of the shirt was being lifted and her head was taken out of the shirt, but her top half was still covered. Icy coolness suddenly wiped away the fire on her back. "This might hurt a bit, but it'll make the pain go away quicker." the female said. Sudden pain pierced her back as her skin was pulled and poked with delicate fingers. Whoever this woman was knew what she was doing. Her fingernails dug into the back of the chair and her knuckles were white, but soon, the pain stopped almost entirely. The shirt was placed back on her and she was able to turn around to face the figures in the room. She tried her hardest to keep her lower half covered.

She saw a male and a female. The male was different than anyone she had ever seen. White hair covered his head and bright blue eyes looked at her quizzically. He had what looked like a light five o' clock shadow. He was dressed in a black zippered shirt with a red jacket that buckled three times in the front, while his pants were red with black leather chaps and what she liked to call red boot covers over black boots.

The female had long blond hair that was well taken care of. Her attire included a black top that looked like it had been ripped down the center, making her breasts more defined. Black pants covered her lower body with knee high heels.

They both looked at her like she was a stain, but both not sure what to think either. "What's your name, darling?" the female asked. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice failed. She tried to clear her throat and try again, but even that didn't work.

"Can she even talk?" the man asked. The woman hit the man in the arm and told him not to be rude. He sighed and walked to a nearby fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "Here, try this." he said offering her the cold liquid. She looked at him questioningly before she took it carefully. She tried the top, but she couldn't even get her fingers to work. The man smiled at her. She felt hopeless. He twisted the cap off and held on to it as he handed her back the water. She drank it, the cold liquid welcome in her mouth. She felt water fall down her chin as she drank, but she didn't care. Once she had her fill, she wiped the water off her chin and handed the bottle back to the man.

"Feel better now?" the woman asked. Concern actually gave way in her voice and she nodded. "Can you tell us your name now?" she then asked.

"W-Wolf." she sputtered. Her voice was weak and sounded tired.

"Okay, Wolf. Do you know where you are?" the female asked. Wolf shook her head. "You're at the shop Devil May Cry. You've heard of it, yes?" she explained. Wolf's eyes widened. She knew this place. Who didn't!? The famous demon hunter lived here. What was his name? The woman smiled. "My name is Trish." she said calmly. Wolf looked to the man.

"Dante." he said with a matter of fact tone.

"How did I get here?" Wolf asked, trying to put more force in her voice, but it just hurt to do so. Dante gave her the run down of the previous night. "T-Thank you." she said lowly. She looked down to the floor before she spoke again. "Why did you save me?" she asked. Dante turned to look at Trish before he answered.

"It's what I do." he replied calmly. Wolf looked at him is disbelief. She knew that he was a demon hunter, but she didn't know that he saved people as well. As if reading her thoughts he said, "I don't normally save people. People pay me to get rid of their demons and we part ways. There was something about you that I couldn't ignore." It was Trish's turn to look at him with a funny gaze. "What? I've already explained it to you." he answered to her gaze.

"What does that mean?" Wolf asked, her voice fading again. Dante handed her the water again and she drank blissfully and handed it back to him.

"You reminded me of me." he explained. Wolf looked at him questioningly. She wanted him to explain further, but he didn't.

"I'm going to make you some soup. If you want to, you can go upstairs to wash up, but please don't take off the bandages from your back. They need to stay on there to heal the cuts. I can't heal the scarring, but I can heal the wound themselves." Trish said. "Dante will show you the way. There is a pile of clothes that you can go through if you like. I didn't know what size to get you, so I just brought you some shirts and pants." she then added. Wolf looked to the taller man.

Dante walked up to her and carefully help up off the chair. "She's taking you shopping later for under stuff. I don't have anything like that, so I tossed in a few pairs of boxers." he said. Wolf blushed and Dante laughed.

"You're like a child." Trish pipped in. "Don't antagonize her." she said as she placed a pot on a stove that she didn't notice before.

Dante showed her how to work the shower. Thankfully there was a removable shower head so she wouldn't get the bandages wet like she was told. Once he left, she carefully shed the shirt and tossed it on the floor. She carefully stepped into the shower and made her way to the back of it. Her legs failed her and she collapsed on the porcelain floor. She hoped that she didn't make a lot of noise. The last thing she wanted was for Dante to come running in to check on her completely naked.

The water felt nice compared to what she was used to. She looked at her arms and legs and realized how small they were. Where did her life go wrong? She didn't want to think about it. She knew that if she did, she would break down and never want to come out of the shower. It wasn't until the water started cooling did she actually start to bathe herself.

Why couldn't everyone be like these two? They seemed kind enough even though she didn't really know what to think about them. She pondered this as she quickly washed herself. She was grateful for their help, but she didn't really know what to do after this. She didn't have a place to go home to, nor a family. What would happen when she had eaten and was all healed up? Would they kick her out to the streets to fend for herself again? Would they give her money to start over on her own? Would they let her live with them? She didn't want to think about it too much. Thinking only led to more questions and more pain.


	2. Chapter 2

Wolf emerged from the shower feeling somewhat refreshed. Even though it was her first shower in God only knows how long, she didn't feel right still. She felt clean at least, and that itself was a blessing for her. The pile of clothes before her made her feel uncomfortable. She knew that these people were trying to help her, and she was thankful, but at the same time she wondered why they wasted their time on her. Maybe she could ask them eventually.

She rummaged through the clothes, hoping to find something that would remotely fit. Taking the females clothing into account, she didn't want something that looked like hers. Her index finger tapped her chin lightly as she thought about it. The man, Dante, admitted that he threw boxers in with the mix, but she didn't want to wear them. No disrespect to him however; she just didn't like the feeling. She finally found a red baggy shirt with holes in it and a pair of black sweat pants that barely fit, even with the drawstring helping her hold them up. It would have to do she guessed. Maybe the female, Trish, could help her out with some clothes later. She didn't want to get her hopes up about it though.

The doorknob turned suddenly, surprising her. She jumped and let out a yelp, but the door never opened. Instead, the person behind it knocked lightly. "Decent?" she heard someone say. She recognized the voice as Dante. She let out a confirming noise and the door slowly opened. She held the pants up as he walked in. "Trish wanted me to tell you that the soup is done." he told her, not really looking at her. She nodded and he left the room. She could hear the muffled voices of the two from downstairs. The woman was fussing at the man about something and Wolf couldn't help but smile, even if it felt foreign on her face.

Wolf managed to walk down the stairs without tripping over the pants just in time to see Trish filling a bowl with steaming liquid. She stopped as she rounded the corner. "Feel better?" she asked. Wolf nodded and she smiled. "Good. I hope this is okay. I didn't want to make much since I didn't know how long it had been since you last ate. The last thing we need is you vomiting over the floor." she explained. Wolf sat at the table while Trish dug in the cabinets for some crackers and fussed at Dante for his lack of food. When she finally found some, she put some on a plate and took the dish to her. The shorter blond nodded a thanks and dipped her spoon into the broth. It burned the back of her throat, but that was perfectly fine with her. She drank the sweet nectar of life like it was nothing and was quickly asking for another bowl. Trish met her wishes with another helping and pulled out another bowl for the man and filled it up.

"I don't want this crap." Dante said from his spot on the couch. Trish furrowed her brows.

"You need something besides pizza. If you don't take it, I'll force it down your throat." she said, strangely calm. The man sighed, but took the dish and drank it like one would the remaining milk from cereal and handed it back to her. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Better than nothing I guess. You're a stubborn asshole." she said as she took the bowl and placed it in the sink.

Wolf ate another helping while Trish fussed with Dante. They way they acted toward each other was more like brother and sister rather than a couple. It was something that Wolf couldn't help but smile about. When Dante asked her about the grin pasted onto her face, she just shook her head but kept smiling. It was rare for her to feel this happy around people, much less people that she had just met maybe three hours before. These two had a way of making her feel welcome without doing much of anything.

"Let's get you some clothes." Trish said as Wolf placed the bowl in the sink. She looked at the other female shocked.

"Like, real clothes?" Wolf managed to ask. Trish smiled and nodded. "But I don't have any money." she protested. The other woman stopped her before she could say anything else.

"You don't, but he does." she said throwing a thumb up and pointing to Dante, who looked shocked.

"I can't go around buying everybody everything." he complained. Trish glared at him and he sighed. "How much do you need?" he asked, his tone flat. The older woman calculated a bit and told him probably more than enough, but he handed over the money without complaint this time. After thinking for a moment, she handed it back to him and declared that he was going with them. This made him groan, but he knew that he couldn't win against her.

They had browsed a variety of stores before Wolf settled on a small thrift store. The clothes were used, but pretty much well taken care of before they entered these doors. Dante made a comment about the lack of creativity when it came to the store name. Sure 'Thrift Store' wasn't a good name, but it told the citizens what to expect enough. Wolf was tempted to ask him about the name of his shop, but she never got the chance. Before she could even blink, Trish was dragging her around and putting up an array of fabrics to her body. While she was looking around, Wolf escaped and looked around by herself.

She browsed, but never really found something that caught her eye. She was about to walk back to Trish when she saw something light blue. She dug around until she pulled out a knee length dress. The fabric was soft and felt comfortable in her hands. She needed to try this on. Once she found the dressing rooms, she entered one quickly before Trish could pull her to another set of tight clothes.

Once the dress was on, she felt like a completely different person. She would never be allowed to wear this where she came from. It would either be too expensive or too 'revealing'. The dress hugged her upper half, but not uncomfortably and the longer portion billowed out around her. It was like this dress was made for her. She quickly dressed back in her other clothes and exited the tiny room. Trish was outside waiting, which surprised her.

"Find something?" the woman asked. Wolf held out the dress gingerly. There was a pregnant pause before anyone said anything. "It's adorable." she finally said with a hint of contentment coloring her voice. Apparently she approved. "Now you need shoes, and a bra." she said.

"Where did Dante go?" Wolf asked as she looked around for the man. Trish scoffed.

"Outside. This isn't his type of thing to do." she explained. Wolf shrugged her shoulders and looked around for a section that looked remotely like bras. She quickly found one that she knew would fit and looked at the shoes briefly. She knew that white would match the dress, so she went from there. A pair of white flats entered her vision and she grabbed them, tried them on to find out that they fit and smiled. "All good?" Trish asked. Wolf nodded. "Oh, I found these for you." the other woman said as the handed her a small pack of undies. Apparently this store also sold new things, like underwear, much to Wolf's relief.

Wolf made her way to the counter as Trish pulled the fighting Dante back into the store. "Is it alright if she puts these things on here after we pay?" she asked the sales clerk. The man didn't say anything but shrugged his shoulders and rung up the items.

Dante was left to wait outside the dressing rooms once they were paid for. The giggles from Trish nerved him, but he knew that she knew what she was doing. When he heard Trish let out an uncharacteristic like squeal, he knew that they would emerge soon enough.

Trish emerged first and rested her arm on his shoulder. He didn't even care enough to push her away. Wolf emerged slowly at first, but gaining her courage walked out more quickly. Her hands were partially covering her exposed chest and she fumbled with her fingers. She wore a light blush on her cheeks.

"Look alright?" she managed to ask. Dante was speechless. She looked stunning. Compared to the figure that he had followed for days, this was a huge change. Before, she looked like a rag doll. Now, he didn't even know how to speak. She stood before him, still fumbling with her fingers at her chest. She shyly put her hands down at her sides, allowing the man to see her fully. She was beautiful. To her knotty hair hanging from her head to the slightly worn flats that covered her feet, she radiated. Dante felt heat on his cheeks before he scratched his nose and finally spoke.

"Better than what it was." he said, his voice dry. He didn't mean for his words to come out like they did, but he couldn't take it back. Wolf crossed her hands in front of her and looked down. He hoped that he didn't hurt her feelings.

"Dante, don't be an ass." Trish said sternly. He rolled his eyes and started to walk away.

"What else do you need?" he asked when he got a little ways away from the girls. He could finally let his blush go unnoticed.

"A toothbrush, brush and shampoo." Trish answered for her. Wolf looked at her, not believing the words she said.

"Why do I need all that?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't you? You've got a home now, so you need something besides his smelly stuff." Trish explained. The younger woman stared at the older with her mouth hanging open. Trish chuckled. "That's right. We can't just put you back on the streets. I can teach you to cook what I know and how to defend yourself. Dante can teach you more if you like." she explained. Wolf finally closed her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes. She covered her face and walked quickly out of the store.

"Well, that went better than expected." Dante said sarcastically. Trish hit him on the head.

"Don't be an ass." she said with a motherly tone.

Wolf wasn't sad. She was ecstatic. She just didn't know how to thank these people. She couldn't do anything worthwhile. Even though Trish had offered to teach her, she could cook if she had the right ingredients. She could clean like no tomorrow. She would even clean out toilets if it meant that she could stay.

She was finally calming down when she heard screeching behind her. She turned just in time to see a demon form behind her. She watched in horror as it raised its scythe weapon to ready and swung it down. Her eyes closed, but nothing happened.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked. She opened her eyes to see Dantes bright blue eyes peering down into hers. He did a horrible job at masking his concern. She finally managed to nod.

"I'm sorry." she said sadly. Dante breathed a chuckle.

"I wouldn't be a demon hunter if I didn't save a few people." he said smiling. Trish quickly accompanied him and glanced her over.

"Well then, let's go get the other things you need." Trish said once she was content with Wolf's condition.

It felt like hours, but they finally returned to the shop. Trish had showed Wolf to a more decent room; one that had an actual bed and a bathroom and helped her make the bed. The bathroom had a flimsy shower curtain, but it was usable. It would need to be cleaned before Wolf thought about bathing in it. She hoped Dante wouldn't mind if she used his shower again. Dante walked into the room while she was setting up the bathroom with a roll of paper towels and some spray and started to clean the counter and sink. The toilet was pretty much clean and after a small flush, it was cleaner. Even though the room hadn't been used in a while, it was pretty much clean. It was like someone had come in a cleaned it while she slept.

Dinner was pizza, something Dante apparently loved considering her ate a whole box to himself. Trish had left before dinner on the promise that she would be back soon, so it was just the two of them. They ate in silence with the occasional question. Wolf noticed that Dante acted different around her than he did the other woman. After dinner was when the real conversation happened.

"Why don't you tell me a little about you?" the man asked as he threw a pizza box away. Wolf watched him and waited until he was sitting beside her again before she explained.

"I don't remember my real name, nor my birthday. I just know that the people on the streets started calling me Wolf when I was younger, so I just took the name. It's better than being called 'girl' or 'woman'." she explained. She looked over to Dante and he seemed to be hanging on every word that she spoke. She continued. "I remember living in a shack with a man completely different from you. You are kind and gentle. This man was pure evil. He did... Things... To me, but eventually kicked me away like I was nothing. That's how I got on the streets." Dante could only imagine what those things were. "I've been living on the streets since then; until now that is." she then added. "What about you?" she asked.

"Well," Dante started before sighing. "I have a brother, but he went mad with power. My mother died when I was a kid and I never really met my father. I was a problem kid, but I got by, barely. When I set up my shop, I realized that it was something like a calling and I just went from there." Dante explained. "You said that you don't know your birthday. Do you even know how old you are?" he asked.

"Twenty-five." Wolf replied as she closed the other pizza box and started to get up to put it in the fridge. Dante took it from her before she could get up and did it himself. When he had his back turned, she got up and made her way to the sink to wash up the dishes from that morning.

"Can't keep you still can I?" he asked with a small laugh when he turned around to see her scrubbing away at a bowl.

"Gotta earn my keep somehow." she replied, her voice serious. Dante watched her for a moment before he walked up to her and took the sponge from her hands, making her stop.

"You don't really need to do that. I can do it. Trish was just saying things that would help, but you don't really need to do them." he said. He looked to the dish and back to her. He dipped his hands in the soapy water and started to clean them before she got the chance again.

She managed to snag the sponge back and clean a few bits of silverware before she suddenly stopped and held her hand. Blood oozed from the cut on the inside of her hand even when she was trying to apply pressure. Dante quickly grabbed her hand, but she snatched it back.

"Don't." she said with her voice shaking. She held her hand closed and grabbed a nearby dishtowel, wrapped it around her hand and walked away from the sink. Dante quickly dried off his hands on his pants and opened a drawer to find some bandages. She made her way to her bathroom and ran her hand under the water from the sink. "Why did this have to happen now?" she asked no one in particular. The door suddenly opened, revealing Dante with a worried expression. He took her hand from the stream of water and examined it.

"Where did the cut go?" he asked. Wolf looked at him like he was crazy.

"It's still there..." she trailed. She had lied, but the proof was there for him to see. Her hand had healed within seconds. He looked at her and then turned her around so her back was facing him and looked for any trace of the gashes from before. They weren't there either. She felt tears stinging her eyes. She sniffled as her nose started to run and tears flowed down her cheeks. He turned her around to face him.

"What are you?" he asked, even though he already knew. She walked back into the kitchen and grabbed a knife and sliced her arm open like it was paper.

"This is why I wasn't wanted." she said holding her arm out. The cut seemed to fold in on itself, but disappeared quickly. "I was the creation of a rape. A rape from a demon. I'm not human. Everyone from before knew this. I was constantly operated on in hopes that the demon blood would just go away. No one knew that it wouldn't. My body always made more." Her tears came in streams and her body shook. Dante didn't know what to do. Sure, he had met people like him before, Trish was one of them, but he didn't know anyone like her. Someone that had been poked and prodded for God only knew how long because they were different. It enraged him, but standing in front of this woman as she fell apart because of an accident hurt him.

Before he could stop himself, he'd wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Her hair smelled like his shampoo, making her smell less feminine. He didn't care. He felt small arms wrap around him in return and her body still rocked with her sobbing.

"You're wanted. You're cared for. You have a family." he said, not really knowing what he was actually saying. "You live here. I am your family and I swear to whatever god there is out there that I won't let anything happen to you." he finished talking into her hair. Her fingers had grasped hard onto his jacket, but she finally let them slack and fall to her sides. Only then did he pull away. She still had pools of tears in her eyes, but she had stopped crying for the most part.

"Thank you Dante." she said calmly. "Really."

He threw on a smile. "As long as you remember it." he said. He turned to finish up the small bit of dishes that remained and announced that he was going to bed.

What were these feelings that this strange woman were stirring up inside him? He'd never felt like this before. He laid in bed staring at the ceiling, but finally turned over toward the wall with his back to the door and closed his eyes. He was pretending to be asleep when he heard the door open and close slightly and felt Wolf crawl in bed next to him. He couldn't place how he felt about it, but he wasn't going to kick her out of bed. Instead he rolled over carefully to face her. Her back was to him so he couldn't see if she was actually asleep. Her relaxed breathing told him and she was. He lightly threw his arm over her side and pulled her close. He didn't want her to feel alone like he had. He wanted her to feel welcome, loved and most of all, happy. She didn't deserve what she had been put through. No one really did, demon, half-demon, or different. Wolf was an amazing person from what he could tell. He would do anything to protect this innocent person. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he was quickly falling for this girl. She wasn't like Trish, or Lady. She was completely different. She was kind hearted and scared. He knew this for a fact. No one that lived like she did could be a bad person. They could, but he didn't get that vibe from her. She just wanted to be loved. He was willing to give her that love, even if it was strange to him.

"Goodnight Wolf." he whispered softly. "I'll be here when you wake up."


End file.
